Published on December 11 2013
In celebration of 20 years of the Blue Cross RiverRink, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation has teamed up with great Philadelphia partners, Four Corners Management, Klip Collective, Groundswell Design Group and Art Star Gallery & Boutique to transform Penn’s Landing into Waterfront Winterfest. Running through January 5, 2014, Waterfront Winterfest features ice skating, a holiday light show, retail market and food and drinks for all ages to enjoy. Along with ever-changing daily entertainment, regional residents and visitors are invited to experience Philadelphia’s newest holiday tradition, and to reimagine how they celebrate the holidays.

More Information For Waterfront Winterfest


more information for the bLue cross riverrink

  • Waterfront Winterfest (photo by Matt Stanley)
    Matt Stanley
The Blue Cross RiverRink, Philadelphia’s premiere outdoor ice skating rink is the center of Waterfront Winterfest. The Olympic-sized rink offers public skating sessions, parties, private functions, and season-long special events, as well as skate rentals and sharpening. The rink complex features a heated facility, viewing areas, private party rooms, video game room, and public restrooms.

Surrounding the rink is a winter garden and forest created by David Fierabend of Groundswell Design Group. Using locally sourced shipping containers covered with a huge warming tent, hundreds of holiday trees and shrubs, woodchips, rustic furniture, market lights and pallets, Fierabend creates an immersive holiday landscape that compliments the majestic views of the Delaware River and Ben Franklin Bridge.
  • Waterfront Winterfest (photo by Matt Stanley)
    Matt Stanley
The warming tent, surrounded by the winter garden, houses both The Lodge, which is the pop-up restaurant, and the Art Star Holiday Market. The Lodge, headed by award-winning Philadelphia Chef George Sabatino reimagines winter classics with twists like homemade Thanksgiving leftover "Hot Pockets," mashed potato fritters, roasted peanuts, signature fudge and applewood-smoked turkey legs. Other local culinary stars like American Sardine Bar Chef Scott Schroeder showcase their own reinvention of holiday food at special dinners, mobile food carts, and grab-and-go areas. The Lodge also serves a curated selection of local beers, and spiked hot drinks, like apple cider made from local Three Springs Fruit Farm Cider. 
  • Waterfront Winterfest (photo by Mitchell Leff)
    Mitchell Leff
The holiday experience would not be complete without a place to buy gifts for family and friends. Art Star Gallery & Boutique has set up the Art Star Holiday Market in the shipping containers, to create a completely unique retail experience. Visitors can shop locally this holiday season from rotating craft vendors and surprise pop-up stores.
  • Waterfront Winterfest (photo by Matt Stanley)
    Matt Stanley
Waterfront Winterfest is also home to the best holiday light show in Philadelphia, featuring Klip Collective’s patented projection-mapping technology under the direction of Ricardo Rivera, a visual artist, filmmaker, and pioneer of video projection mapping. Playing every evening on the hour from 5 – 11PM, this musically synced light show features a festive mash-up of color, lights, hip hop beats, and dancing elves projected onto the winter garden. 
  • Waterfront Winterfest
    Matt Stanley
In addition to annual special events like Skating with Santa, a blow-out Opening Day celebration, and of course, the TWO SugarHouse Casino New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the waterfront, the entire winter festival space will have rotating entertainment curated by Jess Conda of Brat Productions. A complete events calendar will be available online at www.waterfrontwinterfest.com. With all of these elements, Waterfront Winterfest will become a new, authentically-Philadelphia holiday tradition on the waterfront.
 
Season and Hours: Waterfront Winterfest will be open from November 29, 2013 – January 5, 2014, 7 days a week, 11AM – 1AM. Special hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Blue Cross RiverRink and the Lodge will be also open January 6 through March 2 with different operating hours post-Waterfront Winterfest. 
 
Location: Waterfront Winterfest at Penn’s Landing, 101 S. Columbus Blvd, on Columbus Boulevard at Market Street.
 
Pricing: Admission to Waterfront Winterfest is FREE and open to the public. Skating Admission – $3, Skate Rental – $10
 
Online: www.waterfrontwinterfest.com and on Instagram at @PhillyWinterfest